Arachnophobia
by PFTones3482
Summary: I re-discovered my childhood, everyone. Set after the episode Spins a Web, in which Carlos didn't actually get over his fear of spiders and he invites Dorothy Ann over to help him with his phobia while they study for a test. Carlos and D.A. friendship fluffiness! And spiders! One-shot.


**To my followers: I have no idea where this idea came from. I recently discovered that the Magic School Bus was on Netflix and have been marathoning it. Because the FREAKING MAGIC SCHOOL BUS GUYS.**

**To anyone who doesn't follow me: Why don't you? No, just kidding. All y'all who just wanted adorable Carlos/Dorothy Ann friendship can have it! Because ahhhh**

**Anyway, I just finished the spider episode, and since I absolutely adore Carlos, I decided to work with his arachnophobia (we're gonna say he didn't actually get over it in the episode). And because I ship him and Dorothy Ann way more than I actually should, considering they're third graders (though that puts them at around 9-10 years old), this is just some friendship fluff. **

**I don't own the Magic School Bus. That show was the definition of my childhood.**

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GENERAL POV

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Dorothy Ann stood patiently on the front stoop that led to Carlos' front door, her hands clasped behind her back and her book bag slung over one shoulder. Her gaze lifted from the ground as the front door swung open, revealing Mr. Ramon in the opening.

He smiled warmly. "Dorothy Ann, how nice to see you. Are you here to see Carlos?"

Dorothy Ann nodded. "Yes, Mr. Ramon. We have a test coming up in science on Friday, and Carlos asked me to come over and help him study."

Mr. Ramon stepped aside and gestured her in, a grin twitching on his lips. "Do you mean to tell me that Carlos _asked _you to help him study? I think my son may have been taken over by aliens."

Dorothy Ann giggled. "Yes sir. He said he really wanted to get a good grade on this test. It's about insects and arachnids."

Carlos' father winced. "Ah. That would be why he was so eager for help. He isn't a big fan of bugs."

Dorothy Ann tilted her head, blonde pigtails swinging. "Really? I thought he got over that after we went into-uh, I mean, _saw _that movie with the praying mantis?"

Mr. Ramon raised an eyebrow, walking D.A. to the stairs. "That would be news to me. Go on up, honey. He's in his room. I'll make sure Mikey doesn't bother the two of you."

D.A. smiled and waved a hand. "Thanks, Mr. Ramon."

She bolted up the stairs and turned right into the hallway, humming softly as she walked to Carlos' room.

It was obvious which door was his; Carlos was written on it in large, construction paper letters, with puns surrounding the edges. D.A. blinked and tilted her head, noting that he had decorations on his door that resembled things that their class had done on their field trips: stars, trees, dinosaurs, cakes, fish, and, way down in the lower left corner, a single spider.

D.A. gave a soft smile and knocked on the door. "Carlos? It's Dorothy Ann! I'm here to study!"

There was no response, and Dorothy Ann frowned, gripping the doorknob and giving it a slight twist. "Carlos? You okay?"

She leaned in through the open doorway and surveyed the room, her eyes scanning over the slightly messy appearance of clothing and books scattered around the floor and landing on Carlos, who was pressed with his back to the wall, trembling and sheet white.

"Whoa," D.A. murmured, stepping inside and shutting the door behind her. "Carlos, what on earth is the matter?"

The Mexican-American student looked up, his eyes wide. "D-D-Dorothy Ann! I thought you weren't coming until later?"

D.A. set her backpack on Carlos' bed and moved towards him. "My mom had to drop me off early because Evan slipped and hurt her wrist. My dad's picking me up in an hour and a half. What's going on in here?"

Rather than responding, Carlos _whimpered, _turning his head away from his best friend and shutting his eyes. D.A. frowned and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Carlos? Are you okay?"

The boy visibly gulped and shook his head, his eyes darting to the floor. Dorothy Ann followed his gaze and blinked as her eyes landed on the massive spider crawling across the floor.

"That? Carlos that's just…"

Her voice trailed off as she took in the look of utter fear on his face, and her expression filled with sympathy. "A spider," she finished softly. "Carlos, you're not still afraid of them, are you?"

Carlos shivered and nodded, studying D.A. carefully, his eyes wary.

She tilted her head and tapped her chin. "I thought you got over your fear after we caught that giant mantis?" she questioned.

The boy scowled and clenched his hands into fists at his sides. "I didn't, okay? I just thought I had! I'm okay with bugs but….spiders….I just…I can't," he murmured, his fight going out of him.

D.A. bit her lip and knelt, grabbing a piece of paper and scooping the spider up. "Carlos, it's just a little thing. It can't hurt you."

She turned around and Carlos paled even more, sinking to the floor and turning away. "Please. Get it away from me," he pleaded, his voice cracking.

Having never seen him so vulnerable before, D.A. did as he requested, walking across the room and setting the paper on his desk chair, covering the spider with a juice glass.

Dorothy Ann stepped back across the room and knelt next to her friend in concern. "Carlos…it can't hurt you," she said again, taking his hand and lifting him up off the floor.

Carlos threw his hands in the air and sank onto his head, burying his head in his hands. "I know," he grumbled. "I know. It's so dumb and that's why I let everyone in class think that I got over them."

D.A. sat down next to him, leaning forward on her knees. "Why are you scared of them?" she asked curiously.

Carlos shrugged helplessly. "I really don't know, D.A., I just am. My dad says there's no logical reason for anyone to be afraid of spiders, but a lot of people are anyway."

Dorothy Ann nodded. "Well, that's true enough. Why would you hide it from the class though? I mean, it's not like we're not all afraid of something."

"Yeah," Carlos said softly, staring at the floor, "but none of you guys are scared of something as dumb as spiders. Besides, I'm not supposed to be scared of stuff. You guys all said so."

D.A. opened and closed her mouth, at a loss for what to say as she realized that he was right. "Oh, Carlos, you know none of us would make fun of you for it."

He drew his knees up to his chest and shrugged. "Okay. So….studying?" he suggested, trying to veer away from the topic.

Dorothy Ann sighed and grabbed her bag, before pausing and thinking an idea over. "Carlos…our test is on insects and arachnids, right?"

"I was hoping you would know," Carlos joked halfheartedly.

Ignoring the comment, Dorothy Ann stood and walked over to the entrapped spider. "Then…why don't we use this spider to study?" she suggested.

Carlos paled violently, shaking his head rapidly from side to side. "No. No no no. No. I can handle pictures, barely. But no way am I looking at the real thing."

D.A. moved to his side and knelt, staring her friend in the eyes. "Carlos. I'll be right here. You'll be fine. You don't even have to touch it. We don't even have to move the glass if you don't want."

Carlos studied her for a moment before nodding hesitantly. "Okay….if you say so."

Dorothy Ann smiled and went back to the glass, taping the paper to the sides of the juice glass and moving it back towards Carlos. His hands started shaking the closer she got and he pushed his palms together to hide it.

D.A. paused, lowering the spider in the glass. "Carlos…you're fine."

He nodded quickly, his eyes anxious. "Okay. Okay. Keep coming."

Dorothy Ann walked around the bed, kneeling on it with one knee tucked under her and the other leg dangling to the floor. The glass rested comfortably in her hand, the spider inside seated in the corner.

Carlos had backed all the way up to the headboard, his arms wrapped around his legs as he stared at the cup in D.A.'s fingers. "Okay. This is fine. This is cool. I can handle this. The spider won't bug me."

"Carlos," D.A. muttered, a small smile on her lips.

"What?" the child asked innocently, his eyes straying to hers. She realized with a start that he hadn't intended the pun this time.

"Nothing," she said quickly, reaching for her bag and pulling out her book on insects and arachnids. "Okay. Studying time, Carlos."

The dark haired boy nodded and rested his chin on his knees. "Shoot."

"What is the difference between an insect and an arachnid?" D.A. questioned him, starting off simply.

Carlos relaxed a little. "Oh, that's easy. An insect has six legs and an arachnid has eight."

"Correct!" Dorothy Ann said, a smile on her face. "Like this spider, here," she stated, pointing at the spider under the cup.

"R-right," Carlos stammered.

"Can you name how many different kinds of spiders there are?" D.A. tested him, a smirk on her face.

The child thought for a moment, studying the ceiling in thought. "Isn't it somewhere over 35,000?" he guessed, tilting his head towards her.

D.A. narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Yes….Carlos, are you sure you need help studying? You seem to know a thing or two about spiders."

Carlos shrugged and hugged his pillow to his chest. "I…tend to study up on things that I'm afraid of. I know a lot about spiders, and some things about insects."

Dorothy Ann snapped her book shut and frowned at him. "Then why on earth did you ask me to come over and help you study if you didn't need to study?"

Carlos looked away from her intense gaze, his cheeks flushing. "I uh…I was hoping maybe you could help get me over my fear of spiders. I would have asked Tim, but I was….well, too embarrassed."

D.A.'s gaze softened and she set her book aside. "Carlos, Tim wouldn't have made fun of you. No one in our class would have. We've all known each other since we were in pre-school; no way would anyone tease you if they knew how scared you actually were."

Carlos grimaced and clutched the pillow more tightly. "Maybe….but I wasn't taking any chances. You and Tim are the most logical but you're…easier to talk to, I guess."

D.A. smiled and picked up the cup. "Okay. Listen. I'm going to un-tape the cup, take the spider out, and hold it. Is that okay with you?"

Carlos shivered but nodded, his fingers clenched so tightly around the downy softness of his pillow that they were turning white. "Go. Before I lose my nerve."

She un-taped the cup slowly, reaching in and letting the spider crawl onto her fingers. She giggled as the soft hair on its legs tickled her skin and set the cup down, allowing the spider to roam over her hand.

Raising her gaze to look at Carlos, D.A. found the boy staring at the spider with slight horror, and slight fascination. She cupped her hands together to keep the spider in place and scooted closer to Carlos.

"See? Absolutely harmless. She even tickles," Dorothy Ann giggled.

"T-tickles?" Carlos stammered.

Dorothy Ann nodded. "Mmhmm. Spiders have little hairs on their legs, to help them hear."

"They….they hear with their legs?" Carlos asked, relaxing slightly and tilting his head.

"Guess you don't know everything about spiders, do you?" D.A. giggled. Carlos blushed slightly and looked down.

"No. I guess not," he admitted softly. "Is the one you have….poisonous?"

D.A. shook her head. "I don't think so. It doesn't look like a poisonous one. Actually, it looks like one that I would find in my garden at home."

Carlos nodded and sat up slowly, crossing his legs under him and leaning forward slightly, his arms still wrapped around his pillow. "So…how can you tell if a spider is poisonous?"

D.A. tilted her head. "Well, there's a lot of different ways. According to my research, many spiders, like the black widow, have large abdomens or warning colors on them. For the most part, many spiders are either non-poisonous, non-aggressive, or their bites don't cause much damage."

Carlos made a sound of interest in the back of his throat, nodding. "So how do you know for sure that this one isn't poisonous?" he asked.

Dorothy Ann smiled and let the spider clamber over her knuckles. "I mean, technically I don't. But considering it was in your house, and we don't have all that many poisonous ones in America, I'm not too concerned."

She glanced over at her friend, noting that his body was much calmer and that he had let his grip on the pillow relax. His face still held a hint of nervousness, but he had relaxed sufficiently.

"Do you want to hold it?" she asked quietly.

Carlos gulped and pulled his hands to his chest. "I uh…um…"

D.A. stretched out her free hand. "Give me your hand, Carlos. I'm right here. It'll be okay."

Carlos chewed on his lip and stretched out his trembling right hand. Dorothy Ann took it in hers gently and deposited the spider into his hand. He flinched violently, nearly yanking his hand away, but D.A. held it firmly in hers.

The spider crawled delicately around Carlos' fingers, exploring the new surface of skin that it had been dumped into. Carlos whimpered in the back of his throat, shutting his eyes and turning his head away. "D.A…." he murmured softly, his voice breaking.

"You're okay, Carlos," Dorothy Ann assured him, putting her free hand on his knee. "She's just exploring."

Carlos took a deep breath and turned his gaze to the spider, his eyes fearful as he studied it. Slowly, his body relaxed and his fingers loosened. A smile twitched on his lips and D.A. grinned. "What?"

"You're right," Carlos said with a chuckle. "It does tickle."

Dorothy Ann removed her hand from his and, rather than flinging his arm around and shaking the spider off, Carlos brought his other hand up, letting the arachnid slide over his olive colored skin.

D.A. sucked in a breath, a smile crossing her features. "Carlos…you realize you're letting a spider crawl on you, right?"

"Yeah," Carlos whispered in slight awe. "I…thanks, D.A."

Dorothy Ann tilted her head, pigtails bobbing. "For what? You did this yourself."

Carlos shrugged and stood up, moving to the window and dropping the spider out of it onto a tree branch. "Not really," he said, turning around and leaning against the window sill, a grin on his lips. "I could never have gotten this far without you."

He strode over to her and pulled his friend into a quick hug. "I think we'll be good for the test on Friday," he declared, stepping back and giving her an impish look, his eyes twinkling.

D.A. smiled brightly, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I think so too. Just don't stay up all night surfing the web," she said with a wink.

Carlos' eyebrows shot up and he grinned broadly. "Did you just make a pun, Dorothy Ann?"

She rolled her eyes and scooped her book bag onto her shoulder, eyes sparkling mischievously. "Maybe. Are you okay, Carlos?"

He walked with her out of his room and down the stairs, escorting her to the front door. "I am now."

He pulled open the front door and leaned against it, laying his head on his forearm and glancing at the floor. "Thank you, D.A. And uh…can you maybe not mention this to the rest of the class?"

Dorothy Ann smiled and shifted her bag. "If that's what you want," she said.

Carlos smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. That would be great."

"Then no, I won't mention it. See you in class tomorrow, Carlos," D.A. called, exiting the house and waving over her shoulder.

"Bye D.A.!" Carlos called, shutting the door behind her and leaning against it.

"You have a crush on D.A.!" Mikey sang, rolling out of the dining room with an evil grin on his cheeks.

Carlos blushed furiously, striding forward and shoving Mikey's baseball hat down over his eyes. "Oh be quiet, I do not!"

Mikey clutched his hands to his chest, pressing his palms together and fluttering his eyelashes. "Oh D.A.," he said in a squeaky voice. "Thank you _sooo _much. I don't know _what _I would have done without you here!"

Carlos ducked his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well….whatever, Mikey," he grumbled.

Mikey's smile turned more sincere and he laughed. "It's okay, Carlos," he declared, turning his wheelchair to go back into the dining room. "I don't blame you."

Carlos opened and shut his mouth before shaking his head and stomping up the stairs. He shut his door quickly and leaned against the wood, sighing. Was Mikey right? Did he like Dorothy Ann? She had only helped him overcome his fear of spiders, but he had called her instead of Tim for a reason. So…did he?

"Well," the boy muttered. "That would be a sticky situation."

He snorted, almost able to hear his class shouting "Carlos!"

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**Idk I thought it was adorable. Fricking Carlos is my favorite character on that show. And he and D.A. are just adorable. **

**Review? Because why not? **


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